What does rail restoration cost compared to rail replacement?
New/used rails will vary in cost. We have heard quotes of $25,000 up to $50,00+. It can be more or less, depending on the circumstances.
Carriage rail restoration for one set of conventional rails is around $8,000....

Properly benched and sharpened saws are only 50% of the answer. Alignment and a plumb level track is a must. Good service, on time, job well done.Jeff BahndorfHead FilerWinthrop, IAWieland and SonsGeorge has done rail work on our Maxi Mill, head rig, and pony rails since at leas

George Balsbaugh is a machinist by trade and got his start early working in the family business, where his father designed and manufactured nut harvesting equipment in the Central Valley of California.
In 1976, George moved his family to the Willamette Valley in Oregon where...

"Restoring Carriage Rails to Optimum Sawing Efficiency"

Now more than ever, those in the highly competitive lumber industry are seeking every advantage to maximize their investments in both timber and equipment.

Most sawmills use the highest degree of accuracy when initially installing headrig carriage rails. However, over time the carriage rails become worn and/or misaligned. We consistently find V-rail misalignment up to .001 and flat rail wear in front of the slabber of .250+.

The most common problem with carriage rails is flat rail wear in front of the saw, causing the carriage to roll sideways in the cut. This is evidenced by the backstand boards being thin in the middle and on-size at the ends. It also causes undo stress on the saws, requiring more frequent sharpening and benching. Any V-rail misalignment only adds to the problem.

If your flat rail is worn ¼ inch in front of the saw, depending on the width of the rails, the top of the log is moving approximately the same amount.

A fast way of checking the carriage is to place a level on one of the bunks and watch the changes as the carriage moves down the track. The level should not change more than 0.010”/ft, otherwise the carriage will roll sideways, resulting in twisted and beveled backstand boards. Actually, most of the sideways movement of the knees is from the sideways rolling of the carriage due to wear of the flat rail, not distortion of the V-rail.

We recommend reading articles written by Bruce Lehmann, Senior Engineer at Thin Kerf Technologies, found at www.thinkerf.com

In the past, the solution to worn rails and the resulting sawing problems was to replace the rails with new ones. Not only is this very costly in terms of the expense of the new rails and labor involved, but also the considerable loss of production time. We offer a service that lends assistance in both areas. Ninety percent of the rails we check can be brought back to initial trueness using the process of in-place carriage rail restoration with no loss of production time. This is a proven process and is done at a fraction of the cost of rail replacement with equal or greater results.

In-place carriage rail restoration is the logical solution.

Testimonials

In the assessment with George, our track was .300”+ out of level on the flat rail on a large log carriage up to 26’ long X 48” dia. logs. My amazement was George was able to grind down about 30’ of this and just touch the rest to get very close to level. The touch George has on the V-rail to match the angles for the entire length is fascinating! Big money and labor savings to replace and most likely able to grind again in 8 or 10 years. This saves us thousands and thousands of dollars and labor!

Scott FackrellHampton Lumber

The Acculine process of professional, precision alignment and rail grinding has added value to our business. Cost savings from improved saw performance and lumber quality are a benefit from having our head rig and Maxi Mill rails ground by Acculine. Rail restoration worked for us.

Jack HarrelsonBarge Forest Products

Nobody could remember when or if the headrig tracks had been ground. They were so bad I wasn’t sure they could be fixed. The cost to replace and downtime required prohibited us from taking that step. We found Acculine’s number in a timber magazine and called. Although he was busy all over the US he found the time to swing by our mill and give us a quote, which was approved. A plan was set in motion in which Acculine accommodated our schedule and respected our time frame, with no down time, Friday – Sunday. George at Acculine needed very little from us and did an excellent job on what seemed to be the impossible. We saw fewer cracked saws and quality rise, everything we hoped for.

Vaughn OgleRY Timber

Properly benched and sharpened saws are only 50% of the answer. Alignment and a plumb level track is a must. Good service, on time, job well done.

Jeff BahndorfWieland and Sons

George has ground both our head rig and pony rail and his work is spot on. The key to cutting good lumber is to get them done every few years.

Gary RogersSierra Pacific Industries

George, I would like to thank you again for the great job you did on both head rig & pony tracks. I would recommend that any mill that is having issues with their tracks contact you to inspect their tracks and carriage. If the tracks are able to be ground Acculine will make sure they are straight and true from top to bottom and also save the mill time and money. Alignment and grinding can be done on a weekend so mill does not have to miss any production. If you have a good quality steel track you will be better off having it reground than buying a cheaper steel track that won’t be able to be reground when it wears out. Again I don’t think there is anyone out there that has the precision, dedication and knowledge to turn their old wore out tracks like new.

LeroyStimson Lumber

I have used Acculine Rails for thirteen-plus years and have recommended them to anyone and everyone that has asked. In addition to grinding worn rails I have had them come in periodically and tune the tracks up by shimming and adjusting to avoid having to grind them. I can’t stress enough how much I appreciate their service. We have two six foot doublecut carriages cutting at a very high speed so we demand accurate rails and Acculine comes through every time.

Mike WestCascade Hardwood

George has done rail work on our Maxi Mill, head rig, and pony rails since at least 1997. He has always done excellent work here and is highly recommended.